Secret
by Reina Ann Vilre
Summary: "You said there is something you wished to tell me?" Yuan asked guardedly... "I've got a secret to share. All I wanted to know is if I can trust you with this one."
1. A Secret Shared

Author's Notes: This is Part one of Secret. I will post part two at a later date and make this dark little one-shot a two-shot. Yes, it is far darker than my usual works, but you can blame Marinamaxwellyuy for that. She inspired me to write this by making that video on youtube called 'Kratos and Yuan Secret'. It certainly was rather interesting.

Disclaimer: I don't own the idea, nor Tales of Symphonia. This was inspired by Marinamaxwellyuy from one of her video's.

* * *

A Secret Shared

"Yuan," the blue-haired half-elf approached the man cautiously, knowing just how dangerous he could be.

"You said there was something you wished to tell me?" Yuan asked guardedly, watching the man through the little moonlight that filtered through the trees. "I am here now, so what is it Kratos?"

"I've got a secret to share. All I wanted to know is if I can trust you with this one," Kratos, murmured softly, not facing Yuan, and instead gazing down at something cradled gently in his arms, out of Yuan's range of sight. "You must tell no one of this, take it to your grave."

Yuan frowned, this time more in concern. "I won't breathe a word of it to anyone if that's what you would like to hear," to Kratos, that was as good as an oath sworn in blood.

He turned around to face the half-elf, and for the first time Yuan could plainly see the little bundle of cloth held aloft in the man's arms. Kratos took a few steps forward and placed the small bundle in the other man's arms. "His name is Lloyd."

A sharp intake of breath, and Yuan gently stroked one of the chubby cheeks with his index finger, causing the babe to yawn, and open his eyes briefly. Yuan caught a glimpse of the boy's russet eyes; just like his father's. His lips curled into a smile, his countenance softening greatly. He carefully handed the boy back to Kratos.

"He has your eyes," the half-elf said gently. Kratos smiled, grateful for his friend's approval.

"Thank you. He looks more like his mother, though Anna says differently," the red-haired man said serenely.

Yuan smirked. "You should listen to her. She has more sense then you do I'm sure," he teased lightly, turning on heel. "I have to go Kratos," he said, suddenly serious.

"Goodbye Yuan," Kratos called, not looking up from the infant in his arms.

Yuan stiffened, dread and horror flooding through him all at once. He had a sudden insight that this would be the last time he saw his old friend. "Goodbye Kratos."

* * *

Yuan slammed into the wall with such force; he felt that his body was being broken. Blood ran down the side of his face, beneath his hair as his ponytail had long come undone. A blonde haired man towered over the mangled form below, forest green eyes narrowed into a cruel, malicious glare.

"To think, all this time you were the traitor among us," perfectly white clothes adorned the man's body, open near the top, fully displaying the Cruxis Crystal that covered the majority of his chest. Pale, slender, _clean_ hands snatched up a handful of Yuan's loose locks, pulling him away from the wall, and causing him to gasp in pain as his injuries were jarred in the process. "You know where Kratos is don't you?" Yggdrasill asked in an almost sickly sweet tone, his expression haughty, and superior.

Yuan's bloodied, cracked lip tightened into a thin line, and he glared up at the lord of Cruxis with his one good eye. The other was swollen, having been blackened by the blonde seraphim's fist previously. Yggdrasill's face contorted into a scowl filled with hatred and anger. He shook the man like a ragdoll, and he threw Yuan across the room into the desk, smashing it on impact.

Yuan gave a small, pain-filled cry, now certain that at least some of his bones had been broken. "Too stubborn to talk then? A pity, I might have spared your life had you told me where to find the Origin's Seal out of respect for the former companionship we shared. A tragedy really, considering I will find Kratos and the Angelus Project and then they shall both be returned to their rightful places," a deep laugh emanated from the man, and a manic glint was in his eyes. "But _you_," he spat spitefully, "you will die alone and then I shall finish off your precious _Renegades_," Yuan's eyes widened in horror.

"No…" he whispered, voice barely audible.

Yggdrasill gave a snort of derision and scoffed lightly at the downed man, approaching slowly, as if to draw out his last moments of life. "What did you expect? That I would just let a bunch of filthy traitors of the Goddess Martel live? I could hardly do that, not when they could just as easily turn on the goddess again; I must make an example of them after all."

Yggdrasill stopped a few feet from him, and raised his hand. A ball of white energy began to form in his upraised palm, aimed directly at Yuan. It grew and grew until at last the energy confined within it was too great, and shot out at the half-elf.

The last sound heard throughout the dead silent Renegade base was a bloodcurdling scream emanating from their leader's office.

* * *

Kratos send no tears when he heard the news. The man just stared off into space with a blank, unreadable expression, hold the sleeping baby that was his son. He didn't remember bow long he sat there holding his child, the last thing he had shared with his friend.

Kratos had heard that a 'desian base' out in the Triet desert had been destroyed by angels from heaven. He knew better than the followers of Martel. When he had heard about it, he had gone there himself, flew all the way from Iselia to Triet without stopping. Nothing was left aside from the corpses of Renegades; no angels were present among the dead, a clear testament that they had been taken by surprise.

And Yuan… Yuan had rested against the wall. Dried blood covered his face and hair, a many burns varying in severity littered across his entire body. Bruises were still quite visible against his pale skin. Decay had not quite yet set in; the place was too sterile for it to happen quickly.

In its entirety it had been a rout. The Renegades were no more. Yggdrasill was sure to win this time, and Kratos knew he couldn't hide out forever.

Still, every time he looked at his son, he couldn't help but remember the last time he had seen his friend alive. _'I've got a secret to share… take this to your grave.' _ With that thought, Kratos's resolve broke down and a few tears slipped passed his barrier. A bittersweet smile appeared on his lips. Yuan truly did take it to his grave.

* * *

Endnotes: I feel so bad for killing Yuan, but it was necessary for this little story.


	2. Fate of the Forgotten

Author's Notes: Wow. I nearly doubled the word-count of the last part in this. Its a bit overdue, but well worth it I should say. Without further ado, Part two of Secret. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia, only the sick imaginings of my own mind.

* * *

Fate of the Forgotten

Rain fell in torrents, wind howled through the trees and the lightning cackled cruelly. Two forms slipped between the trees and rocks and rugged cliffs, running at full speed. A man with wild auburn hair, led a woman holding a little bundle to her chest by the hand, setting the pace for their flight.

Kratos thought of all manner of escapes and plans as they played through his mind, but none seemed sufficient for this situation. It was too dangerous to fly in the rain and lightning, and the wind made it all that much more difficult, especially with the baby. But he couldn't just do nothing, not with the desians hot on their heels!

It was times like this that Kratos cursed Kvar all the more, and a deep hatred bubbled up for the man and his superior. Yggdrasill; the very thought of the man darkened his already grim thoughts, hatred and anger burning through his blood. That man was the reason they couldn't live in peace; the reason Yuan was dead.

Kratos abruptly jerked to halt, Anna smacking into his back. "K-Kratos?" the woman asked fearfully. One of her hands gripped his arm, the other being used to cradle the babe snugly beneath her cloak.

Kratos turned and gathered her into his arms, holding tightly, afraid to lose her. "I'm sorry Anna," he murmured softly into her hair, pressing his lips to her forehead.

"No! This can't be the end!" She said in disbelief, backing out of his hold. "We can't just give up! What about Lloyd…?" she clutched the child to her breast.

"I…" the desolation held within his eyes was terrible to behold. Her angel had always been so strong, impassive yet not unkind. Anna saw the precipice just over his shoulder. There was no where else to run.

"Well, well, it would seem you have finally stopped running from me," _Yggdrasill_, his smug continence, the air of victory he held; it was unmistakable. Kratos didn't even need to see that it was him.

That insignificant creature _Kvar_ lurked in his master's shadow, just like the dog he was, begging for _scraps_. "Why?" was all Kratos could think to ask, drawing Anna back to him, as if he could protect her. He wouldn't even be able to save himself from this fate.

"Why what? You'll have to be more specific Kratos," Yggdrasill tutted softly, stepping forward. He could certainly play this game.

_Why are you doing this? Why must you continue to kill thousands for the sake of one? _"Why did you kill Yuan?" Kratos asked the one question that had plagued him since he had seen the prone form of his friend lying against the backdrop of cool, emotionless metal.

"He was traitor. I kill all traitors," Yggdrasill responded without a hint of remorse or regret. In his eyes though, Kratos could see the doubts of the little boy he had known, doubts that, maybe, just maybe, he could've spared his former friend.

"Are you going to kill me then? What of Anna and Lloyd?" Kratos questioned dully, feeling numb.

"Lloyd?" the word was sharp, curt and to the point, and something flashed in the Angelic Lord's eyes; something dangerous. "Don't tell me, you're _spawn_ is it?" Yggdrasill hissed, quite suddenly standing before Kratos.

He ripped Anna, and by extension Lloyd, away from Kratos, both figuratively and literally tearing the man's family away from him. "Anna!" Kratos yelled, desperately clawing at Yggdrasill's arm as he held him back.

"You are the _Origin Seal_, I cannot possibly kill you," Yggdrasill glared down at him. "But _them_. They can just go to Hell for all I care!" Yggdrasill snatched Anna up by her long brown locks, the woman trembling, her child pressed against her breast.

In a show of strength, the Lord of Cruxis threw her down the cliff, not even thinking twice about the Angelus Project. "Anna! Lloyd!" Kratos called in panic, giving off a sudden burst of mana.

Yggdrasill, not having expected such a thing, released Kratos in surprise, and couldn't regain his footing quick enough to capture the man as he dove off the cliff after his family, blue wings trailing mana after him. It looked as if the mana was already leaving him, his life soon to follow.

There was no point in going after him now. "Kvar, I want your men down at the bottom of that cliff. Retrieve the Angelus Project." The Eternal Sword, and his last companion, were already lost to him. He would need at least something to show for it.

* * *

Kratos shook, falling to his knees as they buckled and refused to support his weight any longer. He collapsed in a heap next to his wife, Anna, the former ranch prisoner and Angelus Project. Obviously, whether from the fall or impact, the babe and slipped from her grasp, and was motionless a few feet from her body. Tenderly, the Seraph picked up the lifeless child, hands trembling as he held the boy.

He had nothing. Kratos slumped back, gaze returning to his wife. Balancing the infant in one arm, he turned her over, to face the sky. He then maneuvered her hands to rest delicately on her chest, her eyes mournfully gazing up at him. Blood still leaked slowly from a gash on her forehead, and probably elsewhere, and trickled down her face in crimson rivulets. The likeness was a mockery of her.

Where was her mischievous smile, the one that showed her inner intentions of attempting to get her cold angel to laugh? The joy of simply being alive was gone from her forest green eyes, ever filled with hope and wonder. Never again would her dulcet voice hum sweet, tuneless melodies to their newborn child. Anna was gone, and along with her, the little wonder they had brought into this world.

It was over. He had nothing. Now he couldn't even turn to Yuan, long dead lying broken, unremembered in an obscure corner of his hidden base, left alone to rot until he was nothing more than a decayed corpse beyond recognition, one among thousands who died very day on either of the two worlds. But he wasn't just anyone. He was _Yuan_, Kratos's best friend, the closest thing he had ever had to family before Anna had come into the picture, bringing Lloyd with her. For thousands of years before Anna was ever born, he and Yuan had been friends, companions. Now they would turn to ashes together. Yuan needn't be alone in his demise.

A spark of madness, of one final insanity, rested heavily in russet eyes as he lovingly rocked his dead babe. With infinite slowness, Kratos produced from its hiding place in his boot, a small dagger. It was of royal origins, given to him by the king of Tethe'alla himself, interestingly with this very purpose in mind. Back in those days, soldiers were to carry with them at all times a concealed dagger, in the inevitable chance that they should be captured. If that situation should arise, rather than give information to the enemy through torture and the threat of death hanging over like a dark cloud, they should instead use this weapon as a means of taking their own life.

Now after all these years of carrying it with him, it should finally serve its purpose. The gilded, ornately decorated dagger, gleaming with sapphires and rubies, easily slid free of its sheath and Kratos could see it was still as sharp as the day it had been given to him. It probably had some sort of magic placed on it long before it was passed to him; how else could it have withstood the test of time?

Kratos, using his left hand as he still held the child in his right, placed the tip of the blade at his breast, directly over his heart. Without conscious thought from him, he slid it in easily, ripping through muscle and plunging straight into the sensitive organ. Kratos's eyes opened briefly as he gasped one last time, letting the air into his lungs, before falling still onto his wife's immobile body, Lloyd resting lifelessly in his arms. His left hand was still on the dagger, even as the rest of his muscles relaxed, and the last vestiges of air left his lungs. His lifeblood spilled onto the grass beneath his form, pooling into a river of red as it flowed freely onto the grass, crimson melding with dark green.

* * *

Had anyone seen the family close to the cliff, they would have seemed peaceful, even in death. A dagger, a lovely, gilded thing with precious stones of all variety, sat snuggly in the man's chest, finding its intended mark; the man's heart. A child, small, so insignificant in the grand portrait of death, lay limply, wrap in one of the man's arms, having died upon impact with the ground. Anna lay on her back, green eyes staring blankly up at the night sky, lifelessly gazing at the stars her husband so long admired.

The man's head rested on her stomach, his eyes closed as if in peace with his death. He lay in a pool of his own blood, now caked onto the ground. The morning light of the sun, in all its brilliance, brought into day the deeds done at night. The tragedy that befell this unfortunate family was now plain to see by all.

But their was only one onlooker. Even as he gazed at what had become of his last companion, Mithos Yggdrasill wondered if there had been another way. Remorse and regret clouded his green eyes as he watched Kratos's still form, his blonde hair billowing in the early morning breeze about his child-like features. This form seemed more suited for this sight than his Cruxis Form. Yggdrasill had not the right to intrude in this moment, Mithos, for the first time in a long while, fully in control of his mind.

It lasted, only for a few moments though, and when he turned his back on his oldest companion, he shifted into his adult form, hair lengthening as his body grew taller. His simple white clothes, which consisted of a pair of pants, a sleeveless shirt, and an over cloak, were replaced by a full body suit of the purest white, trimmed with gold around the low collar that revealed much of his chest, and the Cruxis Crystal that lay there.

He was all alone again; this time literally. Before, when he lost Martel, he had at least Kratos and Yuan, as little help as they had been. But he hadn't been so utterly alone as he felt now, with the two gone forever out of his reach.

It simply wasn't fair! If those two had listened to him… If they hadn't betrayed him as they did… He wouldn't have had to do that! Yuan could have been happy when he resurrected Martel! They could have all been together again!

A boiling anger and resentment filled his heart as he realized just how far those to and sunk. How long had he called them friends? He had _trusted_ them! And they turn around and destroyed all faith he ever had in those two. Not only did they betray Mithos, but Martel as well! Even if _he_ hadn't treated them the way he probably should have… Martel certainly hadn't done anything to deserve such a thing!

Yggdrasill pivoted in a fit of rage, summoning fire magic into being as he aimed in at the corpses lying but feet from him under the green boughs of the Iselia forest. He would destroy all traces of their existence. Nothing would remain of Yuan and Kratos, even if he had to destroy the entire world with them! First Kratos and his _family_ would burn, and perhaps the forest as well. A small price. Next… next he would seal Yuan in a tomb buried so deep into the sands of Triet that it would never again be found. Kratos and Yuan may keep their secrets, as many as they like, and no one would even remember to think on what those secrets were.

* * *

Endnotes: I told you it was twisted. Generally I don't like unhappy endings, but I suppose my stories are exceptions, huh? A little ridiculous, if you think about it, but whatever.


End file.
